Lands of Doom
by mfn2003
Summary: The story sets in Sector 8, where a small Terran Empire is supposed to have peace for a long time, but it turns out that the zergs has stike back. A group of five brave warriors are on a mission to save the sector! (I'm still new in this fanfic, so plz r
1. Default Chapter

**STARCRAFT**

**The Lands of Doom**

**Introduction**

****

       "I've never thought that this could happen. They've taken control of Ras Kandhark System in just a month," Emperor Alard sighed. He sat on his throne with his royal guards beside him. The throne room was dark, and the wall was made of grey metal. Then, he looked at one of the guards, "I want you to bring the Protoss representative here."

       "It shall be done, sir," the first guy on his left replied. He stepped forward and headed towards the green glass door in front of them. The door slid open, and the guard went out…

       The whole station was made of hard steel, and had a shape of a ring. People from the view port could see the gigantic ice planet of Mars II. Shark-like shuttles docked inside the station, and they came in great numbers. All of them came from Toss Ar, a big wide planet with massive metal resources. These two system- Mars II and Toss Ar were in peace for a long time, probably for decades, and had never been touched by Zerg Forces. Emperor Alard had kept the systems from anyone else, even from the Terran Forces. He trusted his policy that was not to trust anyone. He had been alone these days, and he wished to see his old comrades. But unfortunately, he couldn't meet them. He couldn't trust them. That was his policy.

       The giant metallic ring moved slowly around in a circle. More miners came out from the shuttles in the docking bay. Jim, a high ranking commander looked gracefully at them. His face was dark brown, and his hair was beginning to grow messy.  Then, his blue eyes turned to a big yellow sting ray looking transport ship docking at his left. A big blue sphere with white glow suddenly appeared below the transport ship, and it suddenly turned into a creature. A Protoss zealot. 

      "Fenix?" Jim frowned. The marines walking nearby were terrified by the zealot's appearance. Each of them gave a cold look at it.

       The zealot didn't look at any of them. He just walked forward towards the entrance. As he was beside Jim, Jim suddenly gave him a cold greet, "You have something in mind?"

       "I have a business with your leader," the zealot said, not looking at him. Then, it left him behind. Jim smiled. Suddenly, as the red entrance door slid open, a woman in white dress came towards him. 

      She met him face to face, and spoke in a soft voice, "Commander Jim, the emperor wants to see you in the meeting hall."

      Jim's eyes went wide. He pointed his finger at himself, "Who, me?"

      She nodded. Jim shook his head. He had never been called by the emperor since years ago. Another serious matter, he thought.  He had never been so excited. This was another opportunity for him to get involve in war. The emperor would never call him for other reasons than to go for battle. He longed to crush the Zergs. He wanted to have their heads as trophies. He had kept some of them in his resident, though, but they just weren't enough for him.

      He shrugged, "Well, I guess I'm going to be famous again." He laughed for no reason…

      The meeting hall was wide. A big round metallic table was placed at the center of the hall.  Giant red curtains surrounded the wall.  The hall had a shape of an octagon, and a grey pillar was placed on each corner of the hall. Emperor Alard sat at the far side of the table. Leaders and representatives from different systems sat around the table- including the zealot which Jim assumed as Fenix. Jim sat at the opposite side of Emperor Alard's chair. 

      "So, everyone is here," the emperor said. The woman with white dress beside the emperor stood up.

      "The Emperor has an announcement to make before we begin the meeting," she explained. Then, she sat down.

      The Emperor stood up, "As I have been told in a grand meeting with the head of each system yesterday, we are having a big situation right now. The head system of Toss Ar told me that the Zergs were on their way to his system. The Zergs, which were supposed to be vanquished from this sector months ago- after the death of their Brood Queen- came back in very large and unexpected numbers. They seemed to have found a new Brood Queen as they conquered each of the system in this sector with unexpected tactics and behaviors. I recall the best warriors that this Empire has to perform their duty to free this sector from the Zergs. I also need the hands of Protoss armies in order to keep both side in peace."

      "Is there a new Brood Queen? Who could she be?" Jim thought. Another war was called…


	2. Operation1

**STARCRAFT**

**The Lands of Doom**

Chapter 1

**Operation 1: First Encounter**

The Lands of Doom Campaign

Day 1

Location: The Great Lands, Toss Ar System

Population: 10 000, 000 Terran occupations (Alard Empire), 30 000 Protoss occupation 

Capital City: Ape City (Terran)

Mission Objective: The Alard Imperial leaders had discovered the Zergs' infestation in Toss Ar. Thus, they had decided to send a large amount of support to hold against the Zergs in the Great Lands. A large group of marines are sent to search and destroy the enemies. Meanwhile, they need to evacuate all the personnel in each resident in the area. 

      Six transport ships arrived from the grey clouds of Toss Ar. They landed on a wide deserted area. Six marines came out of each transport ship, and they headed to the north, where Ape City was located. They were walking fast, alerting that the Zergs might lay a trap under their footsteps. All of them were rookies, and they had never been in a situation like this before.

      The Great Lands were divided into 3- one from the north, and two from the south. Two large rivers became the borders of these lands. A small island was located at the center of the separating lands, where a Protoss settlement was built there. The Zergs had colonized the south west land, while Alard Forces had occupied the north. The Zerg seemed to be quiet for most of the time, and they didn't bother attacking the Protoss Settlement. But that gave a big thread to the Protoss living there.

      The first squad- Jingo 22, was ordered to stand guard on a hill at the south of the city, further away from the Zergs' land. They requested for an immediate backup in case they weren't enough to hold against the Zergs. Thus, the commander had provided them a transport ship, so that they could back away if the Zerg armies were too strong for them.

      The other five squads arrived at the city's gate moments later. The city was surrounded by high canyons. Squad 2 stopped, while the other four entered the city. Inside the city, five siege tanks were moving around, guarding. The commander had decided not to put into artillery mode, or they might hurt the civilians inside.

      Meanwhile, the command center was ready to take off. It could take a long time to reach Alard's fleet outside the system. For the moment the commander thought that he could just abandon it if the Zergs reach the city. Building a command center didn't cause him a lot of resources, he thought.

       Building defenses wouldn't do him any good if the Zergs continued to strike. So, he prepared a large group of firebats, marines and ghosts to eliminate the Zergs. He had to provide transport ships too, so that his armies could cross the border to the Zergs' land. All of the armaments were available in the city- and that was the main reason he didn't mind getting them. 

       As the commander was busy ordering his armies on the COM link, he didn't realize that the Zergs had already reached the northern land with their overlords.  Eight overlords headed towards the hill where Jingo 22 was standing guard. A massive numbers of Zerglings dropped down from inside the overlords, and dashed towards the marines. The first marine in front of them cried, "Let's get 'em all!"

      A claw ripped his armor, and he backed away a little from the Zergling. Later, four Zerglings turned their attention to him. He couldn't decide on what to do. Jack, their squad leader told the squad to head for the transport ship.

      But unfortunately, the first marine couldn't make it. He was breathing hardly- as the air from the wasteland had reached into him. His face was pale, and he fell down from the hill, dead.

       Three marines had safely walked into the transport ship. Meanwhile, Jack was still firing at the Zerglings. He punched the closest Zergling to his left, avoiding it from attacking him. His shots were accurate, and three Zerglings were dead because of him.

      Swiftly, he dashed into the transport ship and offered a hand to the last person outside the transport ship.

       The last marine was in deep trouble. The Zerglings were circling around him, trying to make fun of him. He couldn't decide which one to kill, thus he fired around without targeting. He had wasted his bullets. None of them hit the Zerglings.

       "Shit…" he couldn't fire his rifle anymore. The Zerglings jumped onto his head and ripped his head into pieces. Blood spilt out from his head.

      The commander was eating a burger when he saw in the screen that more Overlords were heading towards the city. This time, a pack of Hydralisks appeared from the bird's eye view. The burger was stuck inside the commander's neck. Then, he spilt it out. "What the hell is going on here?"

       He reached into the Com link and contacted Jack. Jack's could be heard through the Com link, "Sir, the Zergs had arrived! Two of my men are down."

       "What is the situation in your old coordinate?" the commander asked.

       "As I just said before, two of my men are down. The Zerglings had secured the perimeter. I repeat, the Zerglings had secured the perimeter. "

       Then, he received a transmission from Squad 2, "Sir, we have detected an unknown Protoss Zealots at 12 o'clock. They seemed to be looking for prey. And I think they are not friendly."

       "How much Zealots are there?"

       "Six to be precise. Oh, wait a sec…" the squad leader seemed to be surprised at something. Then, he yelled, "Two Dragoons are trailing them, they're firing at us!"

       The commander turned his face to the screen, looking at the city. Another 5 Zealots were trailing the Dragoons. Their armors were green in color.

       "This is hard," he looked up on the screen, and saw the hydralisks were attacking from the top of the hills surrounding the city. Then, he ordered the strike forces he recruited just now- the marines, firebats, and ghosts to take down the hydralisks. Most of his men were wasted, as they were killed without having a chance to kill a single Zerg. The chemical rains had destroyed most of the residents. 

      The siege tanks were already in artillery mode. They had no other choices. Bursts of fireballs hit and burned the hydralisks to the ground. Meanwhile, Squad 2 couldn't hold the Dragoon's plasma attacks with had cost the squad's lives. Three men were dead, and the other three backed away from them. 

       Suddenly, three firebats charged forward and burst their flamethrowers towards the moving Dragoons. The marines were behind them, covering. They were accompanied by eight other marines. All of the marines fired at the Zealots, killing them before they reached the firebats.

      "What is going on here?" Fenix asked himself. He was looking at a Nexus on an island ahead of him. Behind him, nine Zerglings were hiding in the ground. He could sense them, and quickly he turned on his blades. He walked slowly towards the edge of the land, and studied the yellow Nexus.

      Suddenly, one of the Zerglings grabbed his legs and pulled them. Fenix pulled his leg away from it as he realized it, and quickly smashed the hands of the Zerglings. He smiled in his own way, "I'm really hunger for battle."

     The Zerglings dug out from the ground and galloped towards him. Fenix stood on guard, with his blades crossed to each other.  Then, he sliced the first Zergling in front of him. It was dead. The second couldn't have its claws on him too, as it was ripped off in the air while it jumped to attack him. While his right arm was working, his left arm tried to look for a prey. Another incoming Zergling was sliced into pieces because of it.

     He poked the forth and the fifth to death. Then, he stabbed the sixth behind him. The seventh jumped onto his arm, and he swiftly stabbed it off him. The eighth charged forward, and he ripped its body upwards with his right blade. The he ran towards the ninth, and sliced it dead. 

      It all ended in less than a minute.

      Fenix looked up ahead and saw the Zerg's nest. Overlords were moving around in the sky, while the eggs below them hatched into Zerglings and Hydralisks.

      Above him, a Terran transport ship arrived and landed beside him. A Terran marine stepped out from the transport ship and called him.

      "C'mon Fenix, what're ye doin'?" the marine asked.

      "I don't need any of Terran's help. I'm going to destroy the enemy my own way." Fenix replied.

      "So, what're ye goin' to do now?"

      "I'm going to the island," Fenix pointed his small finger at the island where the yellow Nexus was located. Then, he turned his blade off.

      "You're not goin' to the island 'nless ye have a transport ship."

      "Then, I require your transport ship to take me there."

      The marine nodded his head, "Well, you've said it. We're here to assist you. Anyway, we are the ones who brought you to this land as you requested."

      Fenix didn't say a word. The marine quickly turned around and entered the transport ship, followed by Fenix. The transport ship floated in the air, and headed towards the Nexus. It landed beside some crystal-looking things. As Fenix reached out of the ship, he saw six yellow probes idled in front of the Nexus. 

      "We need to get 'em fixed," the marine said. Then, he tapped his hand onto one of the probes. Suddenly, the probe started shaking and moving around.

      "It is still functioning," Fenix told the marine. The marine shook his head and shrugged.

      "Then who's controllin' it?"

      Fenix shook his head. "I don't know. These probes can be functioned by themselves. I think they're trying to move away from us."

      "But they seemed to be collecting resources," the marine pointed his finger at all six probes as the probes headed towards the crystal-looking things.

       "Someone is controlling them." Fenix nodded his head. Suddenly, the marine's mini COM link on his hand beeped. 

       "This is the Commander. We have taken command of the Protoss Settlement." The voice came from the COM link.

       The marine put his COM link near to his mouth, "This is Craig. I'm here as you've ordered. What do you want me to do?"

       "I want you to watch over those probes. Don't let the Zergs get you. Cover Fenix if you can." The marine could hardly hear the commander's voice

       "I don't need any cover. I fight with pride," Fenix chipped in.

       "Whatever. I need you guys to defend the Nexus while I'll try to command the probes to set up a base there. We're going to attack the Zergs from here," the commander explained.

       "What's the situation at the city?" Craig asked.

       "Not good. We need to deal with two sides- the Zergs and the Protoss Forces. They've already entered the gate," the commander replied.

       "Protoss Forces? I thought they are siding with us!" Craig frowned. Then, he glanced at Fenix. 

       "I think something is wrong. All of the Protoss Council members agreed to join forces with Alard's Empire. They must not know about the agreement," Fenix said.

"Have you tried to make contact with the enemy's Executor?"

       The commander answered, "I've been trying to, but I couldn't reach him!"

       "Then, something is very wrong," Fenix shrugged.

       A transport ship landed on the south east land. Three SCVs appeared from the transport ship. They began constructing a base there. The land was supposed to be the largest mining field, and the Zergs seemed to pay no attention to it.  Maybe they had something else in mind. Being in the middle of a mining field could also mean making yourself unguarded. It was hard for the Zergs to put their defenses there. 

        Some civilians were working on the mine field. They had been working there since the time Emperor Alard explored the area. They didn't seem to care about the war.

       Later, a small base was established there. Meanwhile, some of the probes on the island were transferred to the Western Land, where the Zerg's nest was located. A Protoss Gateway was established there. Around twelve Zealots and two Dragoons were produced from the Gateway. Fenix managed to defend the base from Zerglings and the Hydralisks. His shield didn't even receive their attacks. Craig could only watch him from behind. He didn't have the chance to give any cover.

      Fenix was bored. He decided to go to the Zerg's Nest. Craig was frowned.

      "Where are ye goin'?"

      "I'm going to end this with honor. Please guard the base for the sake of your commander." Fenix replied without looking at the marine. He left Craig behind. Psi Blades came out of both his hands. He headed towards ten Zerglings that were already waiting for him at the nest.

      Craig shook his head.

      Seventy Battle Cruisers reached the sky of Toss Ar. They came from Alard's fleet outside the system. The commander was shocked to see them. He did mentioned about having reinforcements from the fleet, but he didn't expect this much. Twenty transport ships raced towards the south west land- the Zerg's land. Marines and Firebats rushed out from the transport ships as they landed at each corner of the Zerg's compound. They burned every single object that they assumed as deadly. Siege tanks were in place, and fired in artillery mode. 

      In the meantime, the command center began to float in the air, leaving the city. The city was occupied by the unknown Protoss forces. The command center headed towards the mining field at the south east. Civilians were transferred to the fleet by transport ships. Wounded troops were also transferred there. 

       The commander was puzzled with the Protoss. Were they siding with Alard's Empire? He had reported this to Emperor Alard, but the emperor told him to ignore the Protoss armies and left the city.

      Mission…accomplished?

To be continued…

www.geocities.com/mfnpte_ltd 


	3. Operation2

**STARCRAFT**

**The Lands of Doom**

Chapter 2

**Emperor Alard's Diary**

****

November 15

Day 5, Lands of Doom Campaign.

"I have suspected that the Zerg will come to Sector 8 somehow, seeing that this Sector contains the most valuable resources, all in very large numbers. But there's something that came into my mind as the campaign begun- I began to realize that they had colonized each planet in a very short time, and it seems that they weren't looking for resources. I believe that this must have something to do with the new Brood Queen. Who could she be…Kerrigen's breed?

"I'm so glad that I managed to rescue Jim Raynor from his death, and returned Fenix back to his original form. The plan to form the 'Knights of Sector 8' is working perfectly. The Protoss leaders have agreed to continue the project.

"In the meantime, I still need to find out who's behind the Protoss attack back in the Great Lands."

**Operation 2: Search & Rescue******

The Lands of Doom Campaign

Day 1

Location: West Reach, Ras Khandark

Population: 100 Terran occupants  

Capital City: None

Mission Objective: Alard's fleet has lost contact with a small Terran facility in the West Reach. The fleet believes that the facility has been infested by the Zergs. Thus, a large company of Terran marines are assigned to search for survivors there and to secure the area as possible.  Meanwhile, a group of three High Templars who was sent by Protoss Government a week ago-to explore the area- were MIA. Fenix is assigned to find and rescue them.

Five Dropships dropped the marines onto the dirty ground of the West Reach. Fenix was joining the company too, but he seemed to feel uncomfortable with the crowds. Jim Raynor led the company, thus he ordered his men to walk quickly towards the appointed area, instead of running. They could be visible to the Zergs if they didn't pay full attention while running. They were still unfamiliar with the place.

        "This is the fleet speaking, the area has been located. It's to your east, the coordinate is…" Raynor heard the voice through his COM link. It was a female voice.

       "Understood. Is there any way that we could reach the area safely?" Jim asked.

       "We're still scanning the area. Just use your intuition," the voice was clearer than before. 

       Jim sighed in disappointment, "Whatever."

      Fenix laughed while nodding his head, "You're not handling it like a true warrior. We hunt for Zergs like honored beasts."

       Jim waved his hand forward with his eyes fixed on his men, "Let's move out."

       The others nodded, following him from behind. Jim wielded his Gauss Rifle tightly, and walked towards the designated area. Fenix was far behind him, minding his own matter with the missing Templars. Fenix scanned the area for any signs of his comrades, though he could see nothing but plains in front of him. 

       Their movements became faster as they could see some Terran Structures just a few kilometers ahead. The structures were established on lower ground, making Jim harder to look for any sign of Zerg infestation there. 

      "Hey gurl, can ya tell me if there's any Zerg unit inside the compound?" Jim contacted the fleet through his COM link.

      "This is the fleet. We've found survivors inside the appointed area. I believe that the place is not yet infested. The monitor shows no Zerg activities there. But please be extra careful- because they might be hiding underground."

      "Thank you for your concern, gurl. Maybe we'll have dinner after this?" Jim lowered his voice. He could hear the girl's sigh through the COM link.

      "Whatever." 

      They've encountered nothing since they came here. The Terran compound was surrounded by canyons, and the marines started to run on the slope to reach the wall of the compound. The first squad consisting eight marines, secured the top of the front wall. They all stood in ready- in case of a sudden Zerg attack. Meanwhile, the second and the third squad, each with the same number of marines as the first one, secured the corner of the front wall. The remaining fourth squad guarded the entrance, and some of them entered four bunkers, which situated in front of the wall.

      Jim jumped down from the top of the wall, and began inspecting the compound. A Command Center was constructed at the rear of the compound, and its view was blocked by four supply depots and a barrack on Jim's right. Everything was in good shape. As he walked, he could see no one there. The place seemed to be abandoned. But where could the survivors go?

      It could be possible if they were captured by the Zergs. But the place seemed to be clean, and he could see none of the Zergs' traces or bloods.

     Then, he walked towards the back of the Command Center. Suddenly he saw three men -all in white uniform- were leaning against the building. Seeing their faces, they seemed to be terrified by Jim's appearance. 

      They were the scientists who were supposed to be working on the 'project' with the Protoss allies- which Emperor Alard had mentioned during a meeting a few days before. He didn't tell the members of the meeting about what the project was all about, only he said that both Protoss and Alard Forces will prevail if the plan was succeeded. 

      "What are you guys doing here? Hiding from the Zergs?" Jim grimed while he shrugged.

     "We were planning to activate the self destruct sequence of the front wall. We've had enough with the Zergs," one of the Scientist explained.

      "And you guys are trying to take evasive action by hiding behind this building?" Jim pointed his finger at the Command Center. 

      The other scientist nodded, "I believed that we won't live for along time. Please. Order your men to get the heck out of this miserable place. You're not going to win against the Zergs!"

      Jim turned to look around, and then turned his face back at the scientists, "I don't see any Zergs here. We haven't encountered any Zerg since our arrival here. The fleet officials said that there was supposed to be an active Zerg area around here. But I didn't see it."

      Suddenly, the third scientist turned wild. He ran around and sometimes crawled, and then he took out a gun from a black metallic belt of his. He pointed it at his ear. "Everyone here is going to suffer. I'd rather die now than to live to suffer like my comrades."

      Jim tried to convince him not to blow his head off. But Jim seemed to be ignored. "I'm not letting you die now. You'll have to go through the officials first. A dropship will pick you up," he said. Then, he reached his COM link and contacted the fleet.

     "We've found the survivors. I repeat… we've found the survivors. I'm requesting for an immediate pick up." Jim said. 

     The fleet responded a short while later. "The dropships will arrive at the LZ in thirty minutes. Gather all your men at this location. Your mission is accomplished."

     "But… what about Fenix?"

     "We'll assume the High Templars as dead if Fenix can't find them in the next thirty minutes. You need to inform Fenix to make a quicker search."

     Fenix was already beside Jim. He had searched inside the Command Center, and found out that the place was in a mess. He told Jim that most of the people inside the building had killed themselves. Fenix saw a commander with his head on the floor while sitting on his chair. 

      Jim changed his mind of inspecting the buildings. He asked Fenix if he had found any other survivors, but he shook his head. Jim was getting really confused. The Zerg didn't seem to attack them, but why did they feel so terrified that they had to kill themselves? Jim went silent for a while to figure it out.

      But he had no time. A marine- under his command- informed him that a small group of eight Zerglings were on their way to they compound. A few minutes later, another marine dashed to get him and informed him that the Zerglings were outnumbering them. But still, they didn't reach the compound. 

      Then, one of the marines from the third squad cried, "They're coming!"

      Quickly, Jim headed towards the top of the wall with his Gauss Rifle ready. His rifle's ammos had been modified to better quality bullets. A single shot from the Gauss Rifle could penetrate a Zergling's leg- which normal rifle took more than a round of bullets to make that happen.

      Jim lifted his right hand upwards as he stood amongst the line of marines. "Get ready people. We're going to have some real fun."

       The Zerglings gathered at the slopes, and then galloped forward towards the wall. The bunkers were already standing by. The enemies were less than 400 meters ahead.

        "Hold your fire," Jim ordered. His men didn't say a single word. They were all concentrating at the Zergs below, with their Gauss Rifle ready. Each of them aimed at one of the Zergling, which was getting nearer.

        "Hold…" Jim made his word clear to his men, so that not they would waste their bullets firing at the Zerglings which were out of their range.

        The Zerglings were getting closer. They were in range at this time, but Jim still told his men to hold their fire. He knew that his men would not have the Zergling precisely aimed at this range. As the galloping Zergling began to jump towards of the bunkers, Jim cried and put his right hand back to his rifle to trigger it.

       "Fire!"

      The marines inside the bunkers started firing at the incoming Zerglings. The first Zergling stumbled as it got shot through its legs. More Zerglings were coming, and they all headed towards the bunkers. Meanwhile, the marines above them kept firing at them. The first pack of eight Zerglings was down. But then, another group of eight Zerglings appeared. 

       A few minutes of battle had brought the second pack of Zerglings to death. But then, another group of eight Zerglings appeared. 

      A short while later, the fourth pack of eight Zerglings joined the party. More packs of Zerglings followed the fourth after a few seconds. Later, the front compound was swarmed by the Zerglings. 

       The bunkers couldn't hold the Zerglings much longer.  Packs of Zerglings continuously appeared from the higher ground, making impossible for the marines to kill them all. 

      Jim ordered the marines inside the bunkers to evacuate and head towards the top of the wall. Most of them managed to get out of the bunkers. But still, some of them couldn't make it. Their legs were grabbed and torn apart.

       Jim came up with an idea while he was firing at his targets. He ordered the forth squad to reload their ammunitions while the others were still firing. As Jim and the others were out of ammo, he ordered the fourth squad to take on their places. The fourth squad began to attack the enemies while the others tried to reload their ammos.

       Emperor Alard had known this all along that he would not send firebats into the scene. He knew that the firebats wouldn't last for a long time handling this much of enemies. Unlike marines, they will have to take concern of their flamethrower. If they couldn't burst the fire anymore, then they would die. The emperor was the one in charge of sending the marines into the system. No one knew why he would want to send a large number of marines just to make a search and rescue operation. 

      Ten minutes before the dropships arrived. Hydralisks were approaching. They couldn't hold it much longer. The incoming Zerglings were moving like a flood. They managed to get to the top of the wall. The defending second squads couldn't take them all. 4 were dead out of eight. Jim couldn't help them. 

Meanwhile, Fenix stabbed the Hydralisks which were already inside the compound. As he finished stabbing six of them, he suddenly heard someone calling his name.

      The Templars.

      He dashed to get out of the compound, and killed every Zergling which stood in his way. He ran forward, not knowing where he was heading. Then, he was gone. Jim frowned.

      "That was quick," he murmured. He believed that his Protoss friend had forgotten to search for the missing Templars. 

      The word was becoming clearer through his mind. Fenix knew they were calling him. They seemed to be in deep trouble. He didn't know how they could communicate with him telepathically- as Templars didn't have that kind of ability, but he didn't care. All he needed to do was to save them. He tried to find a way to get them, and he used his instinct to do that.

      Ahead, Two Sunken Colonies detected his appearance, and quickly dug the ground with their tongue-looking weapons. They popped out from beneath the Zealot's legs, and stabbed the legs.

      Fenix didn't mind the attacks. He continued to run and hit the Sunkens in front of him. They were easy opponents for him. He gave them just a few stabs before he continued running, leaving them dead.

      More sunkens ahead, but he ignored them. He could sense that he was near to the Templars, and he didn't have time to fight against them. For him, time was the most valuable thing after his pride to serve his kind.

      Two minutes before the dropship arrived. Fenix had finally met with his objective. The Templars were just a few miles away from him. They were surrounded by gleaming blue barriers, which had made them harder to move around. Fenix turned on his psi blades and cross-sliced the barriers as he reached closer. The barrier was destroyed permanently.

      One of the Templars turned his face to him. "Fenix… you've come here to save us?"

      The other turned to look at Fenix, too. "We have urgent news to tell you."

      Fenix shook his head. "What is it?"

      "Traitor… there's a traitor among us," the third one answered as he glanced towards Fenix.

      Later, Jim could see five dropships above him. They tried to evade the Hydralisks' attacks- which mostly hit their engines. Jim tried to cover them as he fired at the Hydralisks, but there seemed to be no end to it. He ordered his men to head for the ships.

      Jim had lost twenty of his men, and he couldn't forget how they were slaughtered by the Zerglings. The Hydralisks' arrivals were just to back them up. They did most of the damages to the marines. Most of the marines were wounded, but there was no medic to treat them. Jim wondered why Alard didn't send any medic for the mission. 

      The scientists were already on top of the wall, with three marines covering them. The marines had saved them from the Zerglings just a while ago, as the enemies scattered and galloped inside the compound, searching for prey. But since then, the marines were out of bullets.

      Jim grinned as he was going to get out of the miserable place. Hundreds of Zerglings had invaded the front line. The bunkers were completely destroyed, and his men were in trouble. He grinned, yet he felt sad that some of his men couldn't end this mission alive.

      He didn't want to come back to this place again. He would never come back to this place again.

Day 8

Location: Research Room, Venus Cruiser in Alard's Fleet.

      "May I have these reports?" Jim asked the scientist with white coat and a short blonde hair at the corner of the room. He was preparing some kind of chemical in a bottle which was gleaming in blue. He appeared to be working alone.

      The scientist fixed his glasses and turned to look at Jim. Jim was holding a document he had taken from the top of a locker at the rear of the room. "Sure."

      Jim quickly thanked him and headed back to his room. As he walked, he began inspecting the content of the document. It was already been copied from the original one. The scientists had kept it from the Emperor, as he held the original one. Jim didn't care how they managed to make a copy of it. What he wanted was their corporation. They had been hiding something from him since he was saved by them during the Brood War- but now that he managed to solve some of his past time's puzzles, he wanted them to give almost all information they had in their hands, as to pay for what they had done to him. He was given a 'treatment', which almost cost him his life- and made him strong as a grizzly bear, with eyes like the wolves. They didn't regret giving their secrets to him, only that they were afraid if the Emperor found out about this. They had enough with secrets. Even the Emperor was hiding something from them. He fixed his eyes on the words written inside the document…

July 3, 1600 hours

West Reach Compound, Ras Khandark.

"We have finally succeeded in the first phase of the Alard-Protoss Project. The Psi –Force Generator seemed to be working perfectly. In the next three days we will begin constructing the Robotics Facility in Orion System. But what bothers us now is that the Zergs are playing tricks with us. Recently, a group of operators and officials inside the Command Center discovered hundreds, maybe thousands of Zerglings, Hydralisks, Ultralisks and even Mutalisks surrounding this compound. But the weird thing was, they just moved around the higher ground and didn't attack us. All of them were gone in the next morning. We began to get worried- as if we were having nightmares seeing them acting like that everyday. I'd hope that the fleet will aid us with its army, so that the Psi-Force Generator would safely be transported into the fleet. We are also desperate in getting out of this 'spooky' place. "

At the end of the report, there was a message in red saying, "Please send this report to the right man of the Emperor a.s.a.p."

To be continued…

[Keep r&r…Thank you!]      


	4. Operation3

**STARCRAFT**

**The Lands of Doom**

Chapter 3

**Operation 3: The Quest for Truth******

Location: Alard's Fleet

Population: 1500 Terran occupants  

Mission Objective: Alard has been hiding something from his people. Jim realizes that he needs to uncover the truth about it- and he needs to act alone. This unauthorized mission has nothing to do with any of the operations in the Lands of Doom Campaign.

Jim sat on his bed and stared down at the floor, with arms folding on his lap. He wondered what the Emperor was hiding from him. The scientists had tried to reveal the secrets in Alard's mind, but none could tell what he was up to. Jim could sense that he was to something bad.

      He left his room, wearing a plain grey suit like everyone in here did. He tightened his white belt and checked his gun on his side. Then, he headed towards the canteen, where his roommates and comrades were having their lunch. The place was crowded with people, wearing the same suit like his. Jim watched his friends at the first row of long tables, and sat beside his good old friend, Greg. Greg had saved his neck for several times during the Brood War, and this companion of his was glad to be recruited into Alard's fleet. But he had the same problem like Jim- He didn't like the Emperor. He knew that the Emperor was hiding something from his people, too. 

      They discussed about the plan to uncover the Emperor's secret. Joined by his two other friends besides Greg- Matt and Red, Jim began to tell his plan.

      "I think we should act quickly." Jim lowered his voice as he looked around the people who were enjoying their meal.

      "Do you get any information from the scientists?" Greg asked. His blue eyes were fixed on Jim's. All of his comrades turned to look at him. He watched every of his comrades, who was bigger than him in size, before he continued his words.

      "They were constructing something with the help from the Protoss," he said. 

      "How 'bout Fenix? Did he know about this?" Matt asked.

      "I don't know. He didn't talk much since I met him. Now, he's lost in the Western Reach while trying to save his Templar brothers." Jim cleared his throat.

      "Lost? What had happened to him?" Red offered him a cup of hot coffee.  
      "I dunno. But what I can tell ya's that he was missing in action when we're about to evac the Terran Compound during the second operation. Alard didn't want us to go and look for him."

       Greg disagreed with Jim. "Actually, he did send a search party there consisting Lieutenant Siti and her squad mates. I'm in her platoon- and she had told me about the operation. In fact, everyone in my platoon knows about this operation. "

        "How many soldier did he sent?" Jim asked.

        "Eight marines, not to mention Siti as a Ghost. She told me that the team will be searching for another squad, led by Gui Montaj, which was sent to the compound a few days before you joined the party." Greg explained.

        "Only eight marines…. and a Ghost? Is he crazy?" Jim glared at him. Greg shook his head.

       "What are you talking about?" Red frowned.

       "Did you know how much Zerglings my men and I encountered when we arrived on that creepy place?" Jim's voice was harder than before.

       "The operator reported that they've scanned around 250,000 Zerglings, 500 Hydralisks and 30 Mutalisks inside the Terran Compound when you guys left that place. Each minute those numbers increased," Matt explained. He had been working with the Cruiser's Operators since he wasn't recruited into any of the Lands of Doom operation. They needed him to give advice the Admiral about battle tactics. He had been awarded a medal of honor by the Emperor because of his cleverness in wiping the Zergs out of Plato System right after the Brood War. In sector 7, Plato System was the nearest to Sector 8, besides other systems there. Matt believed that if this sector is attacked by the Zergs, they might have been traveling from that system.

      "And he send only eight men and a Ghost… that's weird," Red put his finger under his chin. 

      "That's crazy, I tell ya!" Jim said. 

      "Maybe there's something that the Emperor knows about the Zergs that we don't know," Greg shrugged.

      "I don't know about that, but what I can tell ya is that I'm going to the Emperor's Hall after this," Jim told them. He couldn't wait to find out about the truth any longer.

      "Are you kidding?" Red leaned against his chair, frowning. Everyone knew that the Emperors Hall was constructed just for the Emperor and the leaders of his allies- including the Protoss leaders. Even the fleet officials weren't allowed inside the building or they would be sentenced to death.

      "I'm not kidding, my friend. I'm just doing something that the Emperor always do: Something crazy.

Location: Palace of Honor, New Aiur. 

       "Fenix is gone," a creature with black cape said as he watched the City of Airo below through the towering glass in front of him. 

       "And now Alard is summoning you, Zeratul, brave warrior of Aiur." Someone watched him from behind. The guy looked like Mojo, only that he had a long and pointed chin. He had his green silk robe and gold cape around him. "He wants you now."

       "New Aiur is going to die if we don't defend it." Zeratul turned his head towards the guy. 

       "And Alard is losing his war. He couldn't be trusted. The leaders of our Protoss Community are too foolish to surrender their lands to him. Now, he owns our pride and our glory." The guy murmured.

       "But we are also incapable of defending this place. We won't be here if it wasn't Alard who helped us." Zeratul stepped on the glittering pink marble floor, moving closer towards the guy.

       "You are not speaking like your true nature," the guy said as Zeratul passed by him.

      Zeratul stopped striding. "I am not talking about my true nature. I am talking about gratitude. We still owe the Terran leader a land, don't you agree with it, Hojo?" 

      Hojo shook his head. "But he owed us our pride and honor."

      Zeratul glared at him. "They can't pay our pride and honor. We fought for ourselves after the Brood War. We don't need his help. But he still fought against the Zergs with us. So, I couldn't say that we owe him our honor and pride."

      "If you say so… But I still believe that he is trying to lure us into his trap," Hojo said as he saw Zeratul took another step towards a huge red double doors with gold carvings in front of him.

      "I know. And that's why I hate this Terran Leader, too…" Zeratul left the palace and headed towards his shuttle which was just beyond the palace's exit…

Location: Admiral's Office, Venus Cruiser.

      Jim managed to open the officer's locker after he had touched his favorite numbers onto the keypad, which was placed at the side of it. He grabbed some of the well-arranged documents inside the locker and placed them on the desk next to it. He sat on the admiral's chair and read every single detail which was written inside the document.

       Suddenly, he turned his attention into a red document he was holding. It was a journal by one of his old comrade, Antonio who died during the Brood War, trying to save his life.

Jan11

"I was sent to Turk System, in order to restore peace which belonged to the Protoss Empire there. Its planet was infested by billions of Zergs- and I can tell you that nobody who went there had managed to come back home alive. I've lost all of my men as they were sent before me. I was recruited into one of the best company in the fleet. 

Jan13 

"I was glad that I was still alive, yet I was so frightened that I couldn't get out of this planet. Almost all of my men died. Only 5 out of 130 men had survived the bloody war, and now I had to lead them to find a way to communicate with the fleet. We had found an infested Protoss Nexus not far away from our camp. I ordered Sgt. Alard and Izumy to go and check the place out. Sgt. Alard had found out that there is a survivor inside the building. An Executor."

Jan14 

"The man in charge of the Nexus told us all that he could help us escape the planet if we could get one of the scouts in front of the Nexus operational. He led us to the Scout –while we covered his tail, and piloted the scout. As we were about to leave, a Zergling jumped out of nowhere and tried to kill the Executor. He couldn't defend himself. Thus, he died right after we killed the Zerg. We were lucky that Sgt. Alard had learned how to pilot the Scout from the Executor."

Jan17

"I was given a drug by a scientist right after the operation. She told me that I must take the drug as the Nexus' infestation might infect my body. Because of the drug she gave me, I felt weak and dizzy everyday. I was off duty since then."

Jan25

"Jim visited me in the infirmary almost everyday. I'm so glad about that. I had no friends right now. Almost all of them had died back in Turk System. I'm beginning to feel much stronger now. A nurse told me that I could get off my bed in another week or two."

Feb15

"Now, I'm with Jim in my new company. The officials had enough with Turk System, and now they turned their attention to kill the Brood Queen."

Feb25

"When I was sent to certain operations, I could feel like I was becoming stronger than before… I was hunger for battle… I felt like I wanted to kill everyone in the battlefield. Moreover, I could sense the enemy's presence from faraway distance, and even from the ground! What kind of power did I have? I could fire more accurate than before, and not even a single Zerg which tried to run away from me had survived. Right after each operation, I felt tired and dizzy at the same time."

     Well, this journal seemed interesting. Jim kept it under his armpit and brought some other documents in his hands. He was satisfied with what he had at that time. He had heard through conversations between the leaders of Alard Empire and his allies back at the Emperor's Hall about 'the project'. As he had expected, the second project was accomplished with the Protoss' assistance. He began to understand more about the Psi-Force Generator. As far as he knew, it was constructed to enhance the ability of a Protoss Warrior. But what kind of ability were the leaders talking about? He couldn't get that information as he was kicked off the hall. One of the guards in there knew that he was disguising as a Dark Templar. He used Zeratul's name and his code of honor to get into the hall. He also tried to make his voice like Zeratul. But the weird thing was, he did spoke like Zeratul. He spoke exactly like Zeratul? He had never tried to mimic Zeratul's voice before.

       Jim was lucky that the guard was a loyal friend of his. The guard told him that he would never tell the Emperor about what he had done, unless he did it again.

     Darn! He almost got the most important information in his operation.

     Then, he looked at the shelf at the corner of the office. There was a small rectangular letter attached on it. He pulled it off from the shelf, opened it and read its content:

"To my dearest wife. I'm not coming home tonight to celebrate our parents' anniversary. Tell them that I love them. And you too… I love you.

Your husband…"

      He couldn't see the sender's name. It was covered with dark green slime. Was he the admiral who was trying to send this letter to her wife? No. He couldn't be. Jim could only see the letter 'r' at the end of the sender's name. The Admiral's full name was Joe Edward. Later, he grabbed a red bottle which was placed on the shelf. "I've seen this bottle before."

      He looked at its yellow label, and it said, 

"009 Property of Venus Intelligence.

Strictly not to be touched without permission."

      "I think I shall take this along, too." He put the bottle into a pocket attached to his belt. Then, he trotted towards the door behind him. As the door slid open, he looked up.

      He saw a tall guy with white hair stood in front of him, facing him. His guards glared at Jim as they stood in between the tall guy. He was the admiral of the fleet.

      "Going somewhere?"

To be continued…

[Keep r&r…Thank you!(Hey, try to figure out its ending, too!)]      


End file.
